It bothers me that the Baseball Hall of Fame will display the record breaking home run ball of Barry Bonds. Not because Bonds doesn't deserve the recognition, but because the ball has been defaced in an attempt to belittle a great achievement. It also sets a terrible precedent which I discuss below in a message I sent to the Hall.
"Hello. I'm writing to you today to express my concern over the news that your Hall will be displaying the asterisk laden baseball of Barry Bonds. If the Hall of Fame goes through with this, it will set a horrible precedent. For one thing, if this is allowed to happen, dozens if not hundreds more asterisks will be required throughout the Hall. You will be required to place an asterisk next to all of the items related to ####lord Perry, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, and countless others. And if you allow donors to deface items prior to their donation, it could end up turning the Hall of Fame into some kind of circus sideshow in the future.
It has yet to be proven that Barry Bonds cheated in order to obtain the home run record. In fact, alleged drug use took place before they were actually against the rules. For this reason, the asterisk is an insult to the record. And if the ball ends up being displayed in your Hall with the asterisk, I will be forced to boycott. I love baseball, but I need to avoid the Hall of Fame from now on if it contributes to sullying the name of the greatest baseball player I have ever seen. Thank you for your time."
If you would like to contact the Hall, either in support of their decision or to oppose it as I have, here is a link:
With it looking very likely that Roger Clemens will be indicted for perjury, I thought it might be interesting to take a look at the contrast in evidence:
Bonds case: -Did he ever knowingly use steroids?
The guy who allegedly injected him will not testify/admit that he injected him, or told Bonds what he was injecting him with
His former girlfriend may testify that he knew what he was taking. Former prosecutors said that Bell could face credibility issues and be portrayed as a scorned lover with financial problems. There may be evidence that she asked for money to keep from going public with information
His doctor has been subpoenaed, but it is unknown what he has to say
Most physical evidence in this case is useless, since it doesn't matter whether he used or not. Only whether he knew what he was taking
Clemens case: -Did he ever use steroids and/or HGH?
The guy who allegedly injected him admits that he injected him with both steroids and HGH
Pettitte and Knoblauch admit that McNamee is telling the truth about everything concerning their use of HGH/steroids
The feds have physical evidence that allegedly include syringes with the drugs and Clemens' DNA
Andy Pettitte (one of Roger's closest friends) claims that Clemens admitted to him that he took HGH
Clemens claims that Pettitte "misremembers" the HGH conversation and that they were really talking about his wife taking it. This conversation took place in 1999 or 2000 according to Pettitte. Debbie Clemens took the HGH in 2003. (Caught in a lie)
Clemens claimed that he was unaware that he would appear in the Mitchell Report until it was released. Later, he admitted that he knew several days before it was released. McNamee had contacted his people to warn Roger. Roger's people recorded the conversation and played it for Clemens a few days before the report's release. (Caught in a lie)
Clemens claimed to never be at the Canseco party. He was certain of it and testified as such. He may have tampered with a witness to support his claim. But now it is reported that there is photographic evidence (along with McNamee's testimony) that Clemens was indeed there. (Caught in a lie)
That's all I have come up with for evidence on either guy. Please feel free to comment and/or contribute evidence that I have forgotten or missed completely. As it stands now, I don't see how any sane individual could think that Roger will not serve time. Bonds, although we are all pretty sure he knew what he as doing, looks to be getting acquitted of his charges at this point.
The sports world is beginning to understand why San Francisco Giant fans have stood behind their man for so long. They are realizing why Barry Bonds is revered and loved, despite extreme scrutiny of his milestones. You may ask, why are sports fans empathizing now? I'll tell you. It's because they are seeing their own teams/players/idols in the same boat as Bonds, and they don't think it's a big deal.
Case in point, Rick Ankiel. Rick came up to the big leagues, reinvented as a power hitter. How'd he do? Awesome. It seemed like he was hitting a home run every other at-bat. It was a great story. Then it came out that he used HGH. Ouch. This story didn't have a happy ending. However, in St Louis, he is still cheered and revered. Cardinal fans now can empathize with San Francisco Giants fans.
Case in point, the New England Patriots. Super Bowl champs thrice. Dominant team nearly every year. Golden boy quarterback. Best coach in the NFL. Classy organization. And now...cheaters. These weren't just allegations of cheating, as we've seen with Roger Clemens. This was a situation where the organization has admitted to wrongdoing and accepted their punishment for the offense. And yet, Belichick is praised and loved after the fact. After seeing proof that their team cheated in order to gain a competitive advantage, excuses abound in the northeast:
"Everbody does it, why is it a big deal?"
"Come on, how much does it really help them anyway?"
"They are a great team without it!"
Sound familiar? It's the Bonds defense. Pats fans, you now empathize.
Case in point, Lance Armstrong. Evidence concerning his drug use is readily available to anyone willing to google it. Not just speculation here and there, but lots of evidence. But the American public chooses to put their fingers in their ears, close their eyes, and chant "La-la-la-la-la". This guy was/is an All-American hero. If a video was released on youtube showing Armstrong shooting up 10 years ago, people would not care. They would see past it and love the guy regardless, as they do now. America, you can now empathize with San Francisco Giants fans.
Case in point, Shawne Merriman. Star linebacker for the San Diego Chargers. Famous for his "lights-out" celebration and busted for using the juice. Lost 4 games last year to suspension. Came back after the suspension and was still a fan favorite. He even got elected to the pro-bowl after being caught cheating. Charger fans, you empathize, don't you?
These were just a few examples of how America is learning to condone, ignore, or disregard cheating. There are many more, and will be many more in the future. The point I'm trying to make is that people will preach about ethics and morality until it is their player...or their team...or their idol that is guilty of cheating or accused of cheating. And at that time, everything will change and they will begin to rationalize why there is nothing wrong with it, or why it is not a big deal.
I've been passed up for several promotions at work over the last few years. The guy in the cubicle next to me got a huge one just 3 months ago. My performance has been great for a long time, but a few other employees have stood out a bit more than I have whenever a promotion becomes available. I recently found out why. Many of these guys I work with have been using different presciption drugs that help them perform better. Their productivity has been phenomenal and I just can't keep up. At first, I thought they were cheating to get ahead. I even asked HR about it. They told me that they have no official policy on these drugs and that they do not conduct any drug tests. Apparently, the company is thriving due to all the increased productivity and the powers that be are choosing to turn a blind eye while profits soar.
These drugs have become so popular, even the employees in entry level positions are using them. Apparently, kids fresh out of college are on the stuff in an attempt to compete for jobs. Our people want to keep their jobs very badly and will do whatever they can to hold off these youngsters that are trying to get their taste of the "big leagues". I can't be mad at them. They have families they need to provide for, and they aren't breaking any rules in our workplace.
I love my job. I want to be the best employee this industry has ever seen. Which is why I too have decided to start using these drugs. A friend of mine is a personal trainer and has access to some of the drugs that I've heard terrific things about. One of them is a balm that is supposed to help my knees heal from surgeries. If my knees are feeling better then I won't have to miss as much work as I have been.
I still feel a little bad about this, but it seems that it's the norm for our industry. Since it has been an accepted practice for several years now, I don't see how I'm doing anything wrong. I really hope people don't end up hating me over this decision.
An AP article reported today that, "The San Francisco Giants will celebrate appropriately if Barry Bonds passes Babe Ruth on the career home run list. Team owner Peter Magowan and executive vice president Larry Baer vowed Tuesday to honor the organization's star player ..."
As well they should, but...
The media will attack the celebration of another Bonds record. He may have taken performance enhancing drugs (that were not against the rules).
The media joyously celebrated Kobe Bryant's 81 point game. He may be a rapi5t.
The speculation that Barry Bonds may be suspended by Bud Selig is absurd. MLB could have concrete evidence that Bonds used roids during his record setting season and there would still be no suspension. All of these reports, (which probably have a lot of truth to them), do nothing but shed light on the fact that Bonds is a liar. What they do not do, is give Selig recourse for an suspension. How do you suspend a guy for "allegedly" taking steroids BEFORE they were outlawed in baseball? What if I was cited with a violation for smoking in a bar last year... 6 months before it was deemed illegal? Bond's lawyers would eat this up if a suspension comes. It will be the easiest case of their lives.
And yes, Bonds is a liar. What do you want him to do? Admit that he used performance enhancing drugs? Do we we really want kids to hear him say that? This guy is one of the greatest athletes of all time. We don't need kids thinking that drugs are the way to get to his level. Everyone needs to drop this whole steroids thing. They are now banned in baseball...testing is ongoing and seems to be thorough...leave the past in the past and move on to the next issue. If Bonds tests positive for something in the future, feel free to attack.
What almost every journalist out there is ignoring is the fact that all these performance enhancing drugs were not against baseballs rules at the time they were allegedly taken. All this talk we hear on the web , the radio, and on television about the record books being tainted is moot. Bonds could stand up today and say, "Yeah, I was taking steroids for years", and it wouldn't make a lick of difference. Blame MLB if you want for not banning steroids sooner, but please quit talking about the users who were only trying to be the best at their jobs and entertain us fans, while adhering to the rules of the game.
This blogger is a New Yorker, born and raised. I'm a huge sports fan, following pretty much every major sport out there. Sadly, this does not include hockey, NASCAR, or boxing. Hockey lost my affection during the lockout, NASCAR is not a sport, and boxing has become incredibly boring since the dawn of MMA. If you want to talk football, baseball, basketball, or MMA, then I'm your man. I could also debate NASCAR with anyone, but we would probably end up just going around in circles...
